^^
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Sunday, December 17, 2006
More driving today. For some reason or other, the lump of gray noodles up there set the alarm at all the odd times of the morning. Think 5am, and 7.15am, when I only needed to wake up at 8am. Grraah... the black grapes are threatening to take up residence under my eyes!
Anyways, did some driving at the hospital carpark again. Actually, not much. More like a few runs and stops to make sure I can start off smoothly (more or less) without causing th ecar to buck or *gasp* stall. Then it was out onto the road for a few runs around the block.
Since I've been told to 'visualise and run through the steps in (my) head', here it goes:
Anyways, did some driving at the hospital carpark again. Actually, not much. More like a few runs and stops to make sure I can start off smoothly (more or less) without causing th ecar to buck or *gasp* stall. Then it was out onto the road for a few runs around the block.
Since I've been told to 'visualise and run through the steps in (my) head', here it goes:
- Sit properly in the driver's seat, and adjust. Strap myself in, or face a lesson in flying out the windscreen the next time the car stalls suddenly (which nearly happened yesterday -_-"' and no one noticed my not wearing the belt... *shock*!!).
- If the engine is running, forget about turning the key. If you've stalled, start from ground zero and turn it! Press the clutch (darn, it's manual!), first gear, release handbrake, press accelerator and release clutch to move. Not too fast, or the big piece of metal will play horsie or even dead.
- Total clutch release, and move a little before changing to gears de secundo and above. I should have told you earlier, this is brain-draining work. Unless you're another of those zombie drivers that populate this earth then you'll find it all easy-peasy.
- Press brake first before the clutch for a smoother stop, and so that Parrotsai's stomach doesn't do the flip-flopeys and Nana doesn't go into cardiac arrest.
- If the gear wouldn't go into R, then make it go into third gear first and try R again.
- Don't DON'T DON'T turn around the bend too quickly!!! You'll or I will at least, not make it in time one day and smoosh myself into smithereens against something.
- Change my gear to third gear (if it's a clear and less busy road) before going around the bend, and lower if there are lots of cars and lots of skittles running around. *But why can't we knock the skittles down, Nanny? Isn't that the point of skittles??*
- When stopping the car, do as for the smooth stop. Free the gear and lift the handbrake, and pass it onto Nanny.
- Fourth gear when you reach 40km/hr please.
That's all I can remember for now. Parrotsai did some work on parking, but for most of that time I was awol so I've not much idea as to what happened then. I can tell you that the backseat of a Kancil is NOT nice to nap in, unless you're an extremely lacking in the height department.
GwahaRhaHAr... and I drove all the way home from practice today. Which all together Nanny said wasn't too bad. Hmm... doubt it still. But this much is apparent from my observations, even a noob will realise that the road on this GFS island is litter-ed with drivers who are older than I am (and therefore should be better at their driving!) and not much better than me at driving. *expletives* to the guy who nearly drove me into a wall and hence got me a scolding, *expletives and a honk* to the guy who honked at me and then drove ahead and then decided to stop right in front of me -_-"'.
And that's my day's worth of driving. Whew! ^_^
Thursday, December 14, 2006
聖誕快樂○●
☆ ╱╲☆╱╲ ☆ ☆ ☆
╱╳ +▲+ ╲ ╱╲ ☆ ☆ ☆
╱╱ ◢◣+ +╳ ╲ ☆ ☆
╱ +◢█◣+ ／ ╲☆ ☆ ☆
☆ ◢██◣
___▂▂█▂▂___ ○●◎新年快樂+天天快樂○●
Muahahah, the first photo is the actual one that a friend sent to me over Msg. Copy paste into a blog entry and everything was topsy turvy, inside out, all wrong, but nothing a couple of minor adjustments couldn't fix ^_^! Parrotsai says 'ho ho ho' to it all.
Saturday, December 09, 2006
As proof that I've got nothing much to do lately, I've finished Picoult's Keeping Faith and started on The Historian. Keeping Faith was interesting, but not as good as My Sister's Keeper, though both endings leave me scratching my head.More driving practice with dad today. We've decided to do a few more runs before going about asking after those classes... For a licence holder, it probably isn't too good an idea for me to turn up not even knowing how to turn on the engine :P! LOL, it's not that bad, but heck, with me stalling at every chance I can get, I probably would need loads of classes, which also equates to more money going to the tutor, money which I rather use for some other stuff ^_^... PGH's carpark was pretty empty today, so we started there. Nana keeps on saying changing gears is a purely mechanical thing, and that I would get the hang of it quickly... but apparently not quickly enough -_-"' I've given the car a few good jolts (thanks to the speed bumps!), nearly kissed a Pajero (I'm using a Kancil, eeeps!) and a motorcyclist (the car wasn't moving across the road fast enough!! *wails*), nearly threw nana out the window (thank goodness for seatbelts!)... The few workers doing some repairs to the curb at one of the junction certainly were sniggling away at my performance.... grrr... I'll remember to pack along some lightning bolts for their butts next time!
And I haven't been doing much piano practice lately... *shakes head at self* In fact, I haven't been able to concentrate on anything much for long... Holidays are good, but long extended holidays are baaad.... just as well nana's taking leave week after! Yippee! A chance to get off the island coming right up!
Friday, December 08, 2006
Went over to the carpark at Pisa with dad and sibs. Sis drove there. How she did it I'll never know, what with the heavy traffic and all (with dad shouting left, stop and what-nots from the side of course). And I performed a quasi miracle today there, I actually remembered how to drive, reverse, turn without flipping the car over... though starting up the car and getting it to move had be taught all over again =.="' Dad's now convinced as well I need professional help as well for my driving... he says he going to get a heart attack pretty soon if this continues x_x Gah...
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
29/11
Last day in Gyeongju now. Morning was spent at the Gyeongju Hwangnamin Gobungun Tomb Park. Whew… that’s a mouthful! I prefer it’s other name, Daeneungwon Tomb Park. The tombs here look, from the outside, just like grassy little mounds. Nothing impressive about them as you would have expected of the tomb of royals, just pretty grassy symmetrical small hills. The walk winded all around the tombs and it works for a beautiful walk. They even play background music from speakers perched atop the lamplights around the park! How’s that for creating ambience?! The only tomb that was open for tourists to enter was the Cheonmachong, which the name is supposed to mean Heavenly Flying Horse Tomb, more or less. It was name as such because they found a mudguard flap made of birch bark within the tomb that had the picture of a white flying horse painted onto it. Most of the relics on display there were actually replicas of what they had found within the tomb. The genuine ones were being held in the national museum. The tomb was composed of layers. The body and whatever burial stuff that was to go with it was placed into a strong wooden chamber, and then loads of rocks were then placed onto it, packed tightly, to form a layer around it that had the shape of the mound. The a layer of soil, and finally the grass on it. I guess this must have been even greater of a grave-robber-proof style of protecting the tomb because the tour guide said none of the tombs had even been plundered, and I couldn’t help wondering how the pyramids couldn’t even beat a little mound!
A stop after that at the Hwangnam Bread Shop to have a taste of its ‘bread’. It seemed more of pastry than bread to me though, with its incredibly thin layer of ‘bread’. It was essentially a red bean ball covered with a film of bread. But one could watch the workers behind the counter at work, and it’s amazing how quickly they make the little pastries! Then back into the car and it’s off to Seoul! Well, not exactly, because we stopped by the Sangsoo Herb-land in Chungbuk on the way up. It’s not too bad, not the most interesting of spots to visit. I suppose part of it may be attributed to the fact that it’s winter and not much of the plants are flowering and all, but to tell the truth there didn’t seem to be much herbs there of note, apart from the Helio trope that had light bluish flowers that smelled of chocolate! There was a whole green house dedicated to foxglove as well, and the one that interested me the most, the so-called Indian cucumber plant, tree rather.
The ‘cucumbers’ that hung down at seemingly random points off the branches were incredibly long, and snake-like. Creepy! There were other unrelated stuff on display, such as the fish-pond-aquarium, and thousand year old pine tree which appear a bit stunted to me, and a donated stone formation that was supposed to appear obscene from one point, and like a chicken laying eggs from another. Then lunch there. I had always thought the only sort of flower that could actually be eaten was the rose, simply because I had seen people dusting it with icing sugar and then using it as edible decoration. But the stuff that came out of the kitchen that day would have been ordinary, very much like bibimbap, except for the addition of loads of flowers! Red, purple, blue, yellow, pink… all sorts that I know not the name of. 
Not that they had any taste to boast of actually, it just looked pretty. LOL! And it was slow progress to Seoul by the way, on account of the heavy traffic :S!
30/11
First stop was the Jongmyo Royal Ancestral shrine that was built during the Joseon dynasty. The ancestral tablets of the royal family during this period are kept here and every year traditional rituals are still carried out. The area where the tablets are stored is closed off to tourists, so only the outside of the building can be seen. The roof had little figurines which the tour guide said was the Monkey King, placed there to protect the building from evil spirits that would attack from the air. And the building itself had a doorway for each monarch, and each of the wooden door is made so that it does not close well, with gaps in between, just so that the spirits of the monarch can enter and leave easily :S! *gulp* The doors were also elevated off the floor, some slightly more than others, and if I’m not mistaken, the older or senior the monarch, the less elevated it is.
After that it was a short walk over a stone bridge to Changyeonggung palace. The hill that used to separate the palace from the ancestral shrine had been blasted off when the Japanese came, and a stone bridge and road below built in place. The palace was two entrances, as in one after another before one got into the actual palace grounds, with a small ditch or moat in between. Despite some parts of the palace having been burned and destroyed completely by the Japanese during their invasion, the number of buildings still standing is pretty amazing.
The only building that I thought was of note was the throne room. There wasn’t really much in the room actually, just a big throne that I think would probably seat three people easily… normal sized people if I may add, very ornately carved, but there didn’t appear to be any cushioning so I wouldn’t think it’s all that comfortable. But then I suppose little cushions could have been used back then. A screen with paintings of mountains and cranes with a sun rising is placed behind the throne. Three or four big pillars in the front part of the throne room. Their use I’ve no idea, but they do add to the grandeur of the room. The roof must have taken a lot of time to complete as well, since it’s covered with carvings and right above the throne, there is a hollowed out semicircle with two phoenix ‘statues’ hung within. The windows of the building, and for all the others actually, have carvings too! They sure have really skilled craftsmen in those days! And then there’s the pathway leading up to the throne room which has three lanes. Who else but the king is to walk the middle elevated path? To his right would have been his civil officers. To his left his military officers marched along grandly. Too bad that it’s all the past that we’re seeing, because it would be super if it were all happening real time at that point! Part of the palace grounds has also been converted to botanical gardens. It’s a shame that it’s winter right now so most of the little plants are all gone now, but lots and lots of Japanese maple around, with their dainty reddish orangey leaves and dark coloured bark which provide interesting contrast. It’s extremely beautiful. Grandma and I were randomly walking around when we bumped into my uncles walking around as well (we split halfway somehow while looking around the palace) and then came upon a green house right in the middle of the gardens which housed all sorts of greenery from South Korea. Somehow some of the plants look a lot like those we get back home as well… and there were bonsai as well… and Chinggyu gave us all a scare by saying there was a crocodile in the little waterway in the middle of the greenhouse. Turns out that it was all just fish that all came bobbing up begging for food when we came near. LOL! Poor things, my pockets were empty of food just then!
And how could I forget the most important detail of the day. It snowed! Only a little, but it’s been ages that I’ve seen snow fall. It fell down lightly at first, so little we didn’t really notice it, while we were still back in the ancestral shrine. Then it got heavier and heavier, not enough to cover the ground with even a fine sprinkling of snow, but the snowflakes were starting to look like shavings of ice! Then it turned into rain L. Not that I mind it that much anyway because it lasted only a short while before it all stopped completely. But the rain started to pick up again after lunch, so we ended up not visiting one of the other palaces around Seoul as originally planned since we’ll be having to walk around in the open, so we ended up in a shopping complex called Doota!. And the exclamation mark is part of the name apparently. We spent most of the time on floor where the kidswear was because my cousins needed scarves and gloves ^-^. The clothes on sale are simply fantastic! Very stylish, even though it’s just for little toddlers to young kids, all in the latest fashions and colours. But the price was just as astounding!
1/12
Woke up early and was in the car on the way to Incheon International Airport by 7.30am. Even Aunt J’s cousin woke up early to see us off even though the van was already full and she wouldn’t be able to come along to the airport. So sweet of her ^_^! Nothing much else to report after this, 6 hour flight to KL and then a connecting flight to Kuching J, few days later, back in oven-like Penang.
Last day in Gyeongju now. Morning was spent at the Gyeongju Hwangnamin Gobungun Tomb Park. Whew… that’s a mouthful! I prefer it’s other name, Daeneungwon Tomb Park. The tombs here look, from the outside, just like grassy little mounds. Nothing impressive about them as you would have expected of the tomb of royals, just pretty grassy symmetrical small hills. The walk winded all around the tombs and it works for a beautiful walk. They even play background music from speakers perched atop the lamplights around the park! How’s that for creating ambience?! The only tomb that was open for tourists to enter was the Cheonmachong, which the name is supposed to mean Heavenly Flying Horse Tomb, more or less. It was name as such because they found a mudguard flap made of birch bark within the tomb that had the picture of a white flying horse painted onto it. Most of the relics on display there were actually replicas of what they had found within the tomb. The genuine ones were being held in the national museum. The tomb was composed of layers. The body and whatever burial stuff that was to go with it was placed into a strong wooden chamber, and then loads of rocks were then placed onto it, packed tightly, to form a layer around it that had the shape of the mound. The a layer of soil, and finally the grass on it. I guess this must have been even greater of a grave-robber-proof style of protecting the tomb because the tour guide said none of the tombs had even been plundered, and I couldn’t help wondering how the pyramids couldn’t even beat a little mound!A stop after that at the Hwangnam Bread Shop to have a taste of its ‘bread’. It seemed more of pastry than bread to me though, with its incredibly thin layer of ‘bread’. It was essentially a red bean ball covered with a film of bread. But one could watch the workers behind the counter at work, and it’s amazing how quickly they make the little pastries! Then back into the car and it’s off to Seoul! Well, not exactly, because we stopped by the Sangsoo Herb-land in Chungbuk on the way up. It’s not too bad, not the most interesting of spots to visit. I suppose part of it may be attributed to the fact that it’s winter and not much of the plants are flowering and all, but to tell the truth there didn’t seem to be much herbs there of note, apart from the Helio trope that had light bluish flowers that smelled of chocolate! There was a whole green house dedicated to foxglove as well, and the one that interested me the most, the so-called Indian cucumber plant, tree rather.
The ‘cucumbers’ that hung down at seemingly random points off the branches were incredibly long, and snake-like. Creepy! There were other unrelated stuff on display, such as the fish-pond-aquarium, and thousand year old pine tree which appear a bit stunted to me, and a donated stone formation that was supposed to appear obscene from one point, and like a chicken laying eggs from another. Then lunch there. I had always thought the only sort of flower that could actually be eaten was the rose, simply because I had seen people dusting it with icing sugar and then using it as edible decoration. But the stuff that came out of the kitchen that day would have been ordinary, very much like bibimbap, except for the addition of loads of flowers! Red, purple, blue, yellow, pink… all sorts that I know not the name of. Not that they had any taste to boast of actually, it just looked pretty. LOL! And it was slow progress to Seoul by the way, on account of the heavy traffic :S!30/11
First stop was the Jongmyo Royal Ancestral shrine that was built during the Joseon dynasty. The ancestral tablets of the royal family during this period are kept here and every year traditional rituals are still carried out. The area where the tablets are stored is closed off to tourists, so only the outside of the building can be seen. The roof had little figurines which the tour guide said was the Monkey King, placed there to protect the building from evil spirits that would attack from the air. And the building itself had a doorway for each monarch, and each of the wooden door is made so that it does not close well, with gaps in between, just so that the spirits of the monarch can enter and leave easily :S! *gulp* The doors were also elevated off the floor, some slightly more than others, and if I’m not mistaken, the older or senior the monarch, the less elevated it is.
After that it was a short walk over a stone bridge to Changyeonggung palace. The hill that used to separate the palace from the ancestral shrine had been blasted off when the Japanese came, and a stone bridge and road below built in place. The palace was two entrances, as in one after another before one got into the actual palace grounds, with a small ditch or moat in between. Despite some parts of the palace having been burned and destroyed completely by the Japanese during their invasion, the number of buildings still standing is pretty amazing.
The only building that I thought was of note was the throne room. There wasn’t really much in the room actually, just a big throne that I think would probably seat three people easily… normal sized people if I may add, very ornately carved, but there didn’t appear to be any cushioning so I wouldn’t think it’s all that comfortable. But then I suppose little cushions could have been used back then. A screen with paintings of mountains and cranes with a sun rising is placed behind the throne. Three or four big pillars in the front part of the throne room. Their use I’ve no idea, but they do add to the grandeur of the room. The roof must have taken a lot of time to complete as well, since it’s covered with carvings and right above the throne, there is a hollowed out semicircle with two phoenix ‘statues’ hung within. The windows of the building, and for all the others actually, have carvings too! They sure have really skilled craftsmen in those days! And then there’s the pathway leading up to the throne room which has three lanes. Who else but the king is to walk the middle elevated path? To his right would have been his civil officers. To his left his military officers marched along grandly. Too bad that it’s all the past that we’re seeing, because it would be super if it were all happening real time at that point! Part of the palace grounds has also been converted to botanical gardens. It’s a shame that it’s winter right now so most of the little plants are all gone now, but lots and lots of Japanese maple around, with their dainty reddish orangey leaves and dark coloured bark which provide interesting contrast. It’s extremely beautiful. Grandma and I were randomly walking around when we bumped into my uncles walking around as well (we split halfway somehow while looking around the palace) and then came upon a green house right in the middle of the gardens which housed all sorts of greenery from South Korea. Somehow some of the plants look a lot like those we get back home as well… and there were bonsai as well… and Chinggyu gave us all a scare by saying there was a crocodile in the little waterway in the middle of the greenhouse. Turns out that it was all just fish that all came bobbing up begging for food when we came near. LOL! Poor things, my pockets were empty of food just then!And how could I forget the most important detail of the day. It snowed! Only a little, but it’s been ages that I’ve seen snow fall. It fell down lightly at first, so little we didn’t really notice it, while we were still back in the ancestral shrine. Then it got heavier and heavier, not enough to cover the ground with even a fine sprinkling of snow, but the snowflakes were starting to look like shavings of ice! Then it turned into rain L. Not that I mind it that much anyway because it lasted only a short while before it all stopped completely. But the rain started to pick up again after lunch, so we ended up not visiting one of the other palaces around Seoul as originally planned since we’ll be having to walk around in the open, so we ended up in a shopping complex called Doota!. And the exclamation mark is part of the name apparently. We spent most of the time on floor where the kidswear was because my cousins needed scarves and gloves ^-^. The clothes on sale are simply fantastic! Very stylish, even though it’s just for little toddlers to young kids, all in the latest fashions and colours. But the price was just as astounding!
1/12
Woke up early and was in the car on the way to Incheon International Airport by 7.30am. Even Aunt J’s cousin woke up early to see us off even though the van was already full and she wouldn’t be able to come along to the airport. So sweet of her ^_^! Nothing much else to report after this, 6 hour flight to KL and then a connecting flight to Kuching J, few days later, back in oven-like Penang.
27/11
First day of tour :D! First stop was Hahoemaeul or Hahoe Village in Andong, which was an hour and fourty minutes drive from Sangju. The village was well maintained and was still very traditional looking, the houses with their courtyards, traditional style roofing, and veggie patches. Kinda like what you see in the movies. Some of the houses were already converted into restaurants but a few still had occupants. And almost every restaurant salted mackerel on the menu, and it turns out that that was one of the specialities of Andong. There were also tourist stalls selling souvenirs and the one that caught my eye was the masks on sale. They were apparently used in the old days for plays that poked fun at the upper class Koreans, the Yangban. Another tip we learnt while we were there – tie up your cabbages if you want to protect them from frost :P!
First day of tour :D! First stop was Hahoemaeul or Hahoe Village in Andong, which was an hour and fourty minutes drive from Sangju. The village was well maintained and was still very traditional looking, the houses with their courtyards, traditional style roofing, and veggie patches. Kinda like what you see in the movies. Some of the houses were already converted into restaurants but a few still had occupants. And almost every restaurant salted mackerel on the menu, and it turns out that that was one of the specialities of Andong. There were also tourist stalls selling souvenirs and the one that caught my eye was the masks on sale. They were apparently used in the old days for plays that poked fun at the upper class Koreans, the Yangban. Another tip we learnt while we were there – tie up your cabbages if you want to protect them from frost :P!
Lunch was a very ginseng-ey affair. We had Samgyetang which everyone agreed was lovely indeed. Andong is famous for its Korean ginseng as well, and it’s the first time I’ve tried fresh ginseng and I must say it’s loads nicer than the dried ones we usually get back home. One of the side dishes they had also was deep fried ginseng coated in batter and drizzled with a little honey. Ingenious! (This is the deep fried battered ginseng which mum said looked just like prawns LOL!)
Then onto Sosuseowon (old name: Dosanseowon Confucian academy) that was founded by the scholar Yi Huang (whose face is on the 1000 Won note). The old school is still preserved amazingly well and it looked really a lot like a collection of little houses to me somehow, with the director’s office and also that of the other teachers. And there were student quarters as well. The latter don’t look extremely comfy to me. In fact, I can just imagine people getting frozen in them during winter! The large empty lecture hall was still standing as well. Everything appeared to be well planned, the way everything was built. The teachers’ offices were built on slightly lower ground than the director’s, and the students’ dorm being the lowest of all, as a sign of respect. The grounds were also still very well tended to, with lots of shrubs and trees, which makes it a pity that it’s winter right now, because the place would be so much prettier if it were spring or summer! There was a museum next to the academy as well, containing the books, grade records and so on of the students from long ago. Looking at the amount of stuff the students had to cover in a span of two years… makes me glad I’m not from that era because my brain wouldn’t have the capacity for so much information in such a short time!
Afterwards, it was off to Punggi where loads of ginseng is grown. We stopped
We were still full from lunch and so managed to convince Aunt J’s dad that we needed no dinner. We hadn’t realised it would be the last time we would be seeing that time, and we only realised that later when he turned up at the hotel with a big basket of persimmons and apples and pears and mandarins! Aunt J’s parents were worried that we would get hungry in the middle of the night and wanted to make sure we would be ok, and also to say goodbye to us. They are really model hosts! It was a bit sad that grandma and grandpa were already in bed by then.
28/11
Drove all the way up to Gyeongju, and checked into Hotel Hyundai there. I’m still sharing the room with Aunt M and our room has the most stunning view of Bomun Lake! We were right next to it!
Gyeongju was a two hour drive from Sangju and as we were entering the city we passed by some mountains where there were still lots of old Buddhist temples and where statues of Buddha were still in abundance. I think it was the Namsan that we saw and apparently it’s now made into a World Heritage site.
The first place we visited in Gyeongju was the Gyeongju National Musuem. It was a really big place, with huge grounds, where some of the excavated Buddha statues were place. 
Next place we visited was t
After that it was a short drive up the hill to Seokguram Grotto, and then a short walk along a winding road and a short climb up some stairs to reach the shrine carved into the stone cave which houses the single large stone statue of Buddha, and also that of two fearsome looking guardians and of other little guardian deities adorning the side walls. The floor was also carved with pictures of dainty little flowers so that it appears as though the floor was tiled. The grotto was impressive to say the least, but even more impressive I think would be the people who had the stamina and determination to built it in the first place! I doubt the walkway and roads were there when the carving took place, and crawling all the way up the hill is no mean feat! The view from up there was just breathtaking. Looking out one could see the sea, and when we were there, it was starting to get pretty dark and we could see the boats out at sea fishing for squids, their lights bobbing far out at sea.
My trip in brief ^-^:
25/11
We landed in Incheon early in the morning. It’s slightly chilly but not too cold. We were met by Uncle KF and Aunt J and her dad and uncle. Had to pick up Uncle KT and family and Aunt M and then it was off to Sangju, Aunt J’s hometown. The trip to Sangju took practically the whole day simply because the traffic around Seoul city was terrible that day. After having lunch we had a walk around the
area. It was in the area where one of the old walls protecting Seoul in the old days was located. The first stall we came by on was a little stall with a little grandma and grandpa sitting selling… Silk worms! Braised in their own juice!! Aunt J’s dad bought a cup and asked us to try. He seemed to like it so it couldn’t be too bad I thought. Doubtless the silk worm looked ugly, but who knows, it might taste gold…. Not… it was a little crunchy like how prawn shells are, and the taste is hard to describe… it seemed like a cross between a not-extremely-fresh shrimp and a peanut. I can’t say I’m in a hurry to have another any time soon, though truth be told it’s not exactly very bad either… (no idea how to add captions to my photos, so I'll put explanations in brackets like this - photo of Aunt J's brother eating a silk worm larvae, too bad it didn't come out clearer :( )
We reached Sangju about 6.40pm? We checked in to the hotel we were booked in, the Sangju Tourist Hotel, and then it was out for dinner again. We weren’t hungry but Aunt J’s dad insisted. There wouldn’t have had been anything remarkable about dinner, except for the little platter of grasshoppers (I think) on the table. That one tasted much better than silk worms, in fact, it’s just like those sweet crispy ikan bilis we get back home. Just that they look slightly different. Aunt M agreed they tasted quite good as well. LOL!
26/11
It’s the day of the wedding ceremony. I got up about 8am. Breakfast Korean style at the hotel was rice (Korean rice is almost like glutinous rice and very fragrant I must add!), a bowl of stew, and loads of side dishes. There always seem to be two types of kimchi around, one made of cabbage, the other of radish.
Uncle KF and Aunt J managed to persuade grandma to go for a make-up session. The results?? Let’s just say we were all stunned. It’s kind of like total makeover and the make-up artist even gave her false eyelashes! Though it had to be taken off sometime afterwards because they were irritating grandma’s eyes. ^-^"'
The formal Western style ceremony came first. Aunt J looked really beautiful and Uncle KF dashing!! Loads different from the tired and weary couple I met at the airport yesterday! First, both mum’s from both sides of the family had to walk up the aisle together and each light three candles of happiness. And then in came the bride and her dad. The organiser played Miss Annoying though, she seems to be constantly bustling around and I rather my photos don’t include her! Then up the aisle came our man of the day, then there was bowing to parents from both sides of the family. Vows were later exchanged. I’ve no idea what the guy was saying of course, he was speaking all the while in Korean, but it was a really really (x100) long ‘lecture’! Then came the scary bit. I didn’t manage to get a photo of this part, but for the cake cutting ceremony or whatever people call it, the bridesmaids pulled out this ultra long knife which looked to me more of a samurai sword than the dainty knife one associates for cutting cake :S!
Even better was the Korean traditional wedding ceremony afterwards. Aunt J looked so cute with the two little bright red spots of paint on her cheeks! Uncle KF’s outfit was very interesting, with a big rectangular belt which I don’t think looks very comfy :P! There was a ceremony where wine was symbolically given to the parents to drink, and then the parents had to give some words of advice. And a little fruit tossing from grandma to them, which they had to catch with a piece of cloth. The fruit they caught were supposed to represent the number of kids they were supposed to have ^-^"'!
We got to meet Aunt J’s dad’s side of the family that evening when we dropped by their house for tea. The family seemed very close and were very friendly, it was nice getting to meet them. The house had lots of calligraphy and traditional paintings on the wall, and it turns out that they were all painted by Aunt J’s mum and grandma! *applause* There was even a portrait of Aunt J’s brother done by her mum!
It was dinner straight afterwards and it was then we were introduced to Aunt J’s mum’s side of the family, and also her cousin who would be acting as our translator during our tour. The most notable dish was a platter of raw beef that was… julienne-d? shredded? It was all red, but it was only after chewing into some that I realised what it was. It’s surprisingly yummy, but then again, something I could always do very well without :P! Only other wonderfully weird thing I ate today was a raw piece of squid which I had thought was cooked already... that… was worse than… rotten fish. But then don’t get the idea that everything served was like that though, there were lots of other lovely stuff like bulgogi and jap chae and so on. Just in case anyone else got that impression like Parrotsai… -_-"'
25/11
We landed in Incheon early in the morning. It’s slightly chilly but not too cold. We were met by Uncle KF and Aunt J and her dad and uncle. Had to pick up Uncle KT and family and Aunt M and then it was off to Sangju, Aunt J’s hometown. The trip to Sangju took practically the whole day simply because the traffic around Seoul city was terrible that day. After having lunch we had a walk around the
area. It was in the area where one of the old walls protecting Seoul in the old days was located. The first stall we came by on was a little stall with a little grandma and grandpa sitting selling… Silk worms! Braised in their own juice!! Aunt J’s dad bought a cup and asked us to try. He seemed to like it so it couldn’t be too bad I thought. Doubtless the silk worm looked ugly, but who knows, it might taste gold…. Not… it was a little crunchy like how prawn shells are, and the taste is hard to describe… it seemed like a cross between a not-extremely-fresh shrimp and a peanut. I can’t say I’m in a hurry to have another any time soon, though truth be told it’s not exactly very bad either… (no idea how to add captions to my photos, so I'll put explanations in brackets like this - photo of Aunt J's brother eating a silk worm larvae, too bad it didn't come out clearer :( )
We reached Sangju about 6.40pm? We checked in to the hotel we were booked in, the Sangju Tourist Hotel, and then it was out for dinner again. We weren’t hungry but Aunt J’s dad insisted. There wouldn’t have had been anything remarkable about dinner, except for the little platter of grasshoppers (I think) on the table. That one tasted much better than silk worms, in fact, it’s just like those sweet crispy ikan bilis we get back home. Just that they look slightly different. Aunt M agreed they tasted quite good as well. LOL!26/11
It’s the day of the wedding ceremony. I got up about 8am. Breakfast Korean style at the hotel was rice (Korean rice is almost like glutinous rice and very fragrant I must add!), a bowl of stew, and loads of side dishes. There always seem to be two types of kimchi around, one made of cabbage, the other of radish.
Uncle KF and Aunt J managed to persuade grandma to go for a make-up session. The results?? Let’s just say we were all stunned. It’s kind of like total makeover and the make-up artist even gave her false eyelashes! Though it had to be taken off sometime afterwards because they were irritating grandma’s eyes. ^-^"'
The formal Western style ceremony came first. Aunt J looked really beautiful and Uncle KF dashing!! Loads different from the tired and weary couple I met at the airport yesterday! First, both mum’s from both sides of the family had to walk up the aisle together and each light three candles of happiness. And then in came the bride and her dad. The organiser played Miss Annoying though, she seems to be constantly bustling around and I rather my photos don’t include her! Then up the aisle came our man of the day, then there was bowing to parents from both sides of the family. Vows were later exchanged. I’ve no idea what the guy was saying of course, he was speaking all the while in Korean, but it was a really really (x100) long ‘lecture’! Then came the scary bit. I didn’t manage to get a photo of this part, but for the cake cutting ceremony or whatever people call it, the bridesmaids pulled out this ultra long knife which looked to me more of a samurai sword than the dainty knife one associates for cutting cake :S!
Even better was the Korean traditional wedding ceremony afterwards. Aunt J looked so cute with the two little bright red spots of paint on her cheeks! Uncle KF’s outfit was very interesting, with a big rectangular belt which I don’t think looks very comfy :P! There was a ceremony where wine was symbolically given to the parents to drink, and then the parents had to give some words of advice. And a little fruit tossing from grandma to them, which they had to catch with a piece of cloth. The fruit they caught were supposed to represent the number of kids they were supposed to have ^-^"'!
We got to meet Aunt J’s dad’s side of the family that evening when we dropped by their house for tea. The family seemed very close and were very friendly, it was nice getting to meet them. The house had lots of calligraphy and traditional paintings on the wall, and it turns out that they were all painted by Aunt J’s mum and grandma! *applause* There was even a portrait of Aunt J’s brother done by her mum!
It was dinner straight afterwards and it was then we were introduced to Aunt J’s mum’s side of the family, and also her cousin who would be acting as our translator during our tour. The most notable dish was a platter of raw beef that was… julienne-d? shredded? It was all red, but it was only after chewing into some that I realised what it was. It’s surprisingly yummy, but then again, something I could always do very well without :P! Only other wonderfully weird thing I ate today was a raw piece of squid which I had thought was cooked already... that… was worse than… rotten fish. But then don’t get the idea that everything served was like that though, there were lots of other lovely stuff like bulgogi and jap chae and so on. Just in case anyone else got that impression like Parrotsai… -_-"'
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